CEM Chair Naplatanova: Without Regional News, Journalism Loses Its Relevance

Emanuel Smarkov, Filip Pavlov

Council for Electronic Media (CEM) Chair Gabriela Naplatanova during a discussion on “The Future of Regional News” at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia, June 11, 2026 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

11.06.2026 13:04

(BTA)

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If regional news remains without a future, then journalism itself loses its relevance, said Council for Electronic Media (CEM) Chair Gabriela Naplatanova during a discussion on “The Future of Regional News,” held at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Thursday. The forum was organized by BTA and CEM.

Naplatanova noted that the work of regional journalists is associated with a wide range of responsibilities and requires constant readiness to respond. In her view, the challenges facing the profession and the efforts of those working in regional media should be properly recognized.

"Regional news and correspondents are the link of the media, the face of the media to a specific community, and they are the bridge to politics,” she emphasized, adding that if they do not present the specific problems of a given community to politicians, then the problems of that community remain confined within it. According to her, this is precisely what leads to the emergence of so-called news deserts.

In her speech, she presented data from the public register of the media regulator, noting that television programmes with national coverage make up the largest share of registered audiovisual media services (80%). Thirteen programmes have regional coverage and thirteen have local coverage.

Of the radio services with analogue broadcasting, four programmes have national coverage, three of which belong to Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). BNR has nine regional programmes, while 31 programmes have local coverage. In total, 374 licences have been issued for these services, including those for radio networks with regional coverage.

Naplatanova also highlighted the commitment of CEM to regional content and its development, announcing her intention to propose to CEM members the implementation of special monitoring of regional media content. “Broadcasts on location, correspondences, as well as national news items that have a regional dimension in specific areas, will be taken into account,” she stated.

BTA has invited all regional journalists, regardless of their media outlet, to take part in the event. More than 100 regional journalists from the Agency’s 32 national press clubs outside Sofia have confirmed their participation, not including its nearly 70 correspondents. Invitations have also been sent to BTA’s partners from the Union of Bulgarian National Electronic Media (UBNEM), including BNT, BNR, bTV, Nova TV and Darik Radio, as well as to representatives of the legislative and executive branches. This includes all members of the parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media, the heads of the press services of the President's Office, the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, and universities that train future journalists.

/MR/